My testimony, pt. 2

[if you missed pt. 1: Christian Carpology: My testimony, pt. 1]
After the concert (which was absolutely amazing, and featured everything from groups of kids running around to a 100-person swag-surf), Nia and Briana suggested that we go for a “treasure hunt”. I was also an expert at treasure hunts; I used to do them all the time as a kid! I had a feeling, however, that what these sisters were suggesting was an endeavor quite different from the the candy-centered escapades I was seeing in my mind.

As they explained it, a “treasure hunt” was a spiritual exercise where a group of folks got together and prayed for God to reveal images to them. Each of these images corresponded to a person, or persons, in need of prayer. Was I skeptical? Maybe. I actually can’t remember all that well. What I do remember is getting into my friend Brittany’s car, and praying. After calling out to the Lord, I saw 3 words: tree, moon, and comet.

Clearly, I had done something wrong. There were trees everywhere, one moon hanging in the sky above us, and, as far as I knew, not that many comets crash-landing next to people in need of prayer. Convinced as I was that I had failed, I kept my list, and the hunt began. Our first stop was a nearby diner. One of the sisters in our group spotted an item from her list in the window, and we all eagerly followed, excited to see God move so quickly. We walked into the restaurant, expecting to see her item (a polka dot dress), but to our surprise, couldn’t find it. This would have been cause for a small bit of doubt on my part (mostly because I was still a pretty doubtful guy at this point in my life) if not for what the Lord did next.

Apparently, the same sister that had “polka-dot dress” on her list, had also received the term “snow leopard.” Sure enough, plain as day, sitting to the right of the diner door as soon as we walked in, was a stuffed snow leopard, sitting squarely atop a mountain of other toys. Newly invigorated by this find, we stepped forward in faith, knowing that God had a work He wanted us to do in this place.

Here is where things got a little (more) crazy. It started with the palm tree. A real palm tree. An authentic, rather large palm tree standing in the middle of a Philadelphia diner, looking me directly in the face as a confirmation of my earlier prayer. In the most unexpected of ways, I had found the first item on my list. And, more importantly, had found the "treasure": the chance to talk to the folks standing directly beneath it (let’s call them Michael and Angela for now). Calmly, Everett walked over to Michael and asked if we could pray with him. Though clearly a tad bit taken aback by our request, he complied. I asked Angela the same question, and thankfully, got a similar reply.

Overhearing our conversation from a few feet a way, a group of men got up and asked us what we were doing. Apparently, they were ministers from a local church, who had recently been, to paraphrase, “struggling with how to involve young people in ministry.” The brothers then asked if they could join us in prayer. Within the next few minutes, we found ourselves part of a prayer circle that took up a good portion of the diner. During the prayer itself, God showed up in a powerful, palpable way; there were points where I could literally feel the fire in Michael’s hands as we prayed with him. Our obedience had born fruit.

Afterward, we exchanged information with the small group of ministers and continued our hunt through the night into the early morning. Between that evening and the next, I found every single item on my list, the last two in a way I never could have expected (the story involves a Fabolous mixtape and a Corona commercial, of all things, but that's a tale for another time).

It was during this point in the summer that I gave my life over to Christ. I fundamentally realized that God’s love, and the sacrifice that His Son ,Jesus, made because of it, was too wonderful for me to ignore any longer. I needed Jesus to be the center of my life, to have every day be a reflection of, and a testament to, His divine grace and mercy. Though I daily fall short, I can now honestly say that I am committed to leading a life where I am led by the Holy Spirit. Before anything else, I am a follower of Christ.

Thank you all for reading this. One of the most difficult aspects of writing a testimony is that there is always so much left to talk about, so many moments of personal encounter with God that you wish you could more effectively communicate to the reader. Prayerfully, this reaches someone who is in dire need of it. I struggle at times with talking to folks about my faith, and this 2-part post has certainly been an exercise in boldness. I pray that all who read this are encouraged, and continue to carry out lives that are bursting at the seams with love.